(Yicai) April 3 -- China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is set to champion new industrialization this year, accelerating the construction of a strong manufacturing and cyber nation, thereby laying a solid foundation for the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan next year, according to Vice Minister Xin Guobin.

A number of advanced manufacturing clusters will be set up in 2025, creating new growth engines in areas such as biomanufacturing, commercial aerospace, and the low-altitude economy, Xin said at a forum hosted by the China Center for Information Industry Development, a public institution under the MIIT, on April 1.

Xin added that efforts will also focus on the digital transformation of the manufacturing sector, the integration of artificial intelligence with manufacturing, and the development of green factories, green industrial parks, and green supply chains.

The country needs to fully coordinate major relationships such as supply and demand, China and the rest of the world, industry and technology, and development and security to further advance new industrialization, noted Su Bo, director of the Community Colleges for International Development Academic Committee and a former MIIT vice minister.

In terms of innovation, systems should be improved to empower enterprises as the main innovators, Su said. This includes giving them a key role in decision-making, research and development investment, scientific research organization, and the commercialization of technological results, thereby unlocking their full potential and vitality, Su said.

DeepSeek created a "catfish effect" in the AI field, according to Wang Jiangping, another ex-vice minister at the MIIT. Efforts should be stepped up in six areas, he noted: building high-quality industry and scenario datasets, developing industry and scenario models, fully promoting enterprise data governance, actively exploring AI business models, strengthening the development of national model testing and evaluation systems, and conducting AI literacy education and training.

The CCID also released theoretical monographs at the forum, including research papers on pathways to advance new industrialization during the 15th Five-Year Plan, which will cover the years 2026 to 2030, and Artificial Intelligence Empowering New Industrialization: Paradigm Shift and Development Path.

Editor: Martin Kadiev